Pregnancy is the most different period a woman experiences in her life. During this period, many changes occur in the female body, both psychologically and in terms of the functioning of the body. First of all, our body's energy needs increase significantly from the beginning of pregnancy. For this reason, it is of great importance for pregnant women to consume many different foods and increase nutritional diversity with as many different foods as possible.
Meal Management During Pregnancy
Normally, we all eat main meals 3 times a day. These nutrients are broken down in our body and used as a source of energy and building blocks in necessary tissues. In pregnant women, this process works faster and more intensively than normal compared to non-pregnant people. Because during pregnancy, there is a rapid growth in the baby along with changes in the mother. While the baby is growing in the womb, it needs many vitamins and minerals. For this reason, we recommend pregnant women to eat frequently and in small amounts. For this reason, pregnant women should have 3 snacks in addition to 3 main meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) a day. These snacks may consist of foods such as fruits, mixed nuts, boiled vegetables, milk and yoghurt. Create your snacks by combining one or more of these foods in not too large amounts and spread them out at certain times of the day. These hours should be adjusted according to the person's own sleep and wakefulness hours.
Water Need During Pregnancy
Pregnancy is a condition that causes a decrease in blood pressure in women. In addition, since the baby's water needs will be met by the mother during pregnancy, fluid intake of the expectant mother is vital. For this reason, I want to open this title before starting my nutrition recommendations. Dear expectant mothers, every woman's daily fluid intake need is approximately 2 liters. During pregnancy, you should increase this figure and drink more than 2 liters of water daily. This is our first and foremost recommendation that we tell to pregnant women who come to our clinic.
Tips About First 3 Months Feeding
The first 3 months of pregnancy (first 12 weeks) are when all your baby's organs are formed, the brain and spinal cord a It is perhaps the most important period of pregnancy when the abnormalities close and most anomalies emerge. For these reasons, nutrition is of great importance during these months. In addition, since these are the months when pregnant women experience the most nausea, the first trimester of pregnancy is the month when nutrition may deteriorate the most. During this period, attention should be paid to weight gain and the necessary nutrients should be provided from daily meals. In the first months of pregnancy, vitamins such as A, D, E, K, C, B6, B12; unsaturated fatty acids such as omega 3 (can be obtained from vegetable oils); It is very important to consume minerals such as copper, zinc, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and protein-rich foods through food. Along with these foods, folic acid intake is also very important. There is plenty of folic acid in green leafy vegetables, lentils and legumes. During this period, you can get the vitamin A you need from dairy products, eggs, yellow or orange colored vegetables and fruits; You can get vitamin E from broccoli, spinach, unsalted peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts. For vitamin K, you can consume green leafy vegetables, legumes and fish, and for vitamin C, you can consume citrus fruits, green peppers, tomatoes and cabbage. Breads containing whole wheat, whole wheat pasta, cereals and legumes are very rich in vitamin B6. You can meet your B12 needs from meat, milk and dairy products, and eggs. If you add varying amounts of these foods to your daily meals and snacks on different days, you will get sufficient amounts of various vitamins. You should eat meat, fish and eggs for vitamins as well as various minerals and proteins. The richest fish in terms of phosphorus are salmon and mackerel. If you create a nutrition program that includes all these, you will not need extra vitamin supplements. Folic acid supplement, which is accepted worldwide, should only be taken in the first 3 months of pregnancy, despite all these nutritional recommendations. This folic acid taken in the first 3 months of pregnancy will contribute to your baby's brain and spinal cord development (nervous system) and will significantly reduce the likelihood of experiencing nervous system abnormalities.
Can We Diet During Pregnancy?
The pregnancy process provides the mother and the baby with energy, vitamins, It is a process in which minerals and, of course, proteins, which are the building blocks, are needed intensively. For this reason, it is not appropriate to diet or skip meals during pregnancy. Of course, weight may be lost during pregnancy, but this is a process that will occur spontaneously as a result of adjusting the person's meals and foods. Our recommendation for an overweight pregnant woman starts with avoiding white bread, switching to whole wheat bread, and also reducing the amount of bread consumed daily. The amount of water consumed daily has a very important place in weight regulation during pregnancy. In some pregnant women, it may be necessary to reduce the number of snacks from 3 to 2. For some pregnant women, it is sufficient to adjust the amount eaten without reducing the contents of the meal. In this way, by adjusting her weight until birth, a pregnant woman will receive all the necessary nutrients and at least keep her weight under control.
Tips about second trimester nutrition
This covers the 12th to 24th weeks of pregnancy. In this process, our baby completes his organ development and enters the growth phase. In these weeks, in addition to the recommendations in the first 12 weeks, iron and vitamin D intake are especially important. Expectant mothers will experience an increase in appetite as nausea decreases during these weeks. Please let's pay attention to our weight gain during these months. Because we may not be able to adjust our meals due to the increased appetite that occurs after a period of intense nausea. This can lead to excess weight gain. Especially during these months, we should include iron-containing foods in our meals. Iron can be found abundantly in some vegetables such as spinach and cabbage, and in meat and meat products. Also, milk is a good source of iron and calcium. During these months of pregnancy, pregnant women should start taking vitamin D drops. Providing vitamin D support with these drops is also recommended by the Ministry of Health. In addition, during these months, if the climatic conditions allow, getting plenty of sun exposure and taking light walks outdoors will increase the secretion of vitamin D. After the 16th week of pregnancy, it is very important to protect the pregnant woman from iron deficiency by taking iron supplements. This supplement should be continued until 3 months after birth. This prevents anemia in pregnant women. Already Although preventing anemia in a woman who will lose some blood during birth is sometimes underestimated by our society, it can actually protect the expectant mother from very serious consequences. That's why, when we talk to the pregnant women we see in the outpatient clinic, we ask them to continue taking iron medication even if they stop taking any supplements.
Tips About Third Trimester Nutrition
This period is the 24th-40th month of pregnancy. It covers weeks. In fact, although the basic nutritional requirements do not change, these weeks are the weeks when the most important nutritional needs will occur during pregnancy. Because after these weeks (especially in the last 2 months), your baby will gain significant weight, your belly will grow rapidly and the baby will reach its target weight. Roughly, we can calculate the baby's weight gain as follows: By 6 months (this is the 24th week of pregnancy) a baby will weigh approximately 600 grams, and in the next 4 months it will reach an average weight of over 3000 grams. This means that the majority of your baby's birth weight is formed in these weeks. If we divide the pregnancy into two, your baby's organ development occurs until the 6th month, while the baby's actual weight gain occurs after the 6th month. Although the suggestions I have given for the first 6 months are valid, the nutrition in the last 3 months is of great importance for your baby to reach his birth weight.
How Should Carbohydrate Intake During Pregnancy?
For both the mother and the baby in an expectant mother, The main source of energyis carbohydrates. Approximately the daily amount of carbohydrate consumed should not fall below 175 g. However, the important and most confusing point here is the issue of how and with what foods to take this carbohydrate. Since gestational diabetes, which is widely discussed in our country today, occurs in these weeks, I wanted to open a separate title on this subject. In our clinic, we do not impose any restrictions on carbohydrate intake for expectant mothers, but we explain in which ways they can consume these carbohydrates, that is, sugar. The use of refined sugars in pregnant women can cause sudden blood sugar changes and It harms the pregnancy process by causing unnecessary weight gain. This type of sugar intake is something that needs to be taken into consideration. Unfortunately, even the sugar cubes we add to our tea can cause this type of situation. However, the carbohydrates we consume by consuming fiber-rich foods and fiber-rich foods in our daily diet will keep us full by allowing our blood sugar to rise more slowly. It will also eliminate problems such as rapid blood sugar rise. This significantly reduces the occurrence of gestational diabetes.
Therefore, vegetables, fruits, grain foods and legumes must be included in our daily diet.
Why is Protein Intake During Pregnancy So Important?
The pregnancy process both increases the needs of the mother's body and It is a process that goes through an intense construction phase because the baby is in the process of growth and development. The basic building blocks of our body are proteins. Therefore, regardless of the month of pregnancy, protein intake with food is very important. If adequate intake is not achieved, development problems may occur in the baby and muscle loss may occur in the mother. Protein intake in pregnant women can be provided from animal sources such as red meat, fish, eggs, yoghurt, cheese and milk. In addition, combining these foods with foods containing plant-based protein will increase protein intake and create a healthier meal. Foods containing this plant-based protein are bulgur, chickpeas, lentils and legumes. For example, if a protein source such as meat or fish is your main meal, you can add bulgur pilaf or lentil soup to it. In addition, you can balance your vegetable and animal protein intake by adding yoghurt or buttermilk.
Pay attention to the use of fat in your daily meals!
Which oils you use when preparing your foods is of great importance, regardless of the week of pregnancy. This nuance, which will affect the functioning of your digestive system, will directly affect your weight gain depending on the oils you use. Fat intake is important during pregnancy. The first source of energy for you and your baby was sugar, glucose. Second energy source
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